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In 2025, the nine nuclear-armed states spent just under $119 billion, or $3,768 per second, on their nuclear arsenals – the highest ever recorded amount - according to a report issued today by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, which produces the most authoritative figures on annual nuclear weapons expenditure.
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The report, Premeditated: Nuclear Weapons Spending in 2025, shows that the combined spending of the nuclear armed states – China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, UK and US – increased by $16.8 billion from the previous year. That is 19% or almost a fifth. Over the year, the private sector earned at least $38 billion from their nuclear weapons contracts. The United States again spent more than all of the other nuclear armed states combined: $69.2 billion. Washington also had the largest annual increase at $12.4 billion. China was the second largest spender at $13.5 billion. The UK overtook Russia to become the third largest spender at $12.6 billion to Russia’s $9.5 billion.
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Over the past five years, the nine nuclear-armed states altogether have spent $471 billion on their nuclear arsenals. Using the evidence available from some governments, the report also looks at longer term spending growth projections as the nuclear-armed states carry out modernisation and, in many cases, expansion of their arsenals. Figures from France, UK and US show billions more dollars will be spent in the years ahead as the three countries are committed to developing and maintaining weapons systems into the next century. Other countries which are more opaque about future spending are also introducing new weapons systems with long lifespans (see table below). |
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This money is being wasted given the nuclear-armed states agree a nuclear war can never be won and should never be fought. It is also diverting resources from acute human needs. A minute of nuclear weapons spending could provide access to clean water and sanitation for 3,478 people. A day of this spending could save 2 million people from food insecurity. A week could protect more than 12 billion people from measles, mumps and rubella. A year’s spending could provide more than 6 million homes with solar power. Over the past few years, the UN, along with the whole humanitarian and development sector, has had its funding cut by countries that are rearming themselves, both conventionally and in nuclear terms. The money spent on nuclear weapons in 2025 by the US alone could have covered the entire UN annual budget 19 times over. ICAN’s Director of Programmes and co-author of the report, Susi Snyder, said: “At a time when the cost of living is skyrocketing and food and fuel are unaffordable for so many, it is unthinkable that these nine countries are spending billions on a false promise of security. Nuclear weapons cannot be used without causing catastrophe, and the false logic of nuclear deterrence requires us to trust our enemies with our very survival.” Alicia Sanders-Zakre, co-author of the report and ICAN’s Head of Policy added: “Our research is annual, but nuclear weapons spending is not. The nine nuclear-armed states are planning to maintain and modernise their nuclear forces for decades to come, diverting untold billions of dollars away from real human security needs." This spending is also fuelling today’s perilous geo-political landscape. The expansion of nuclear arsenals and their modernisation are ramping up nuclear tensions at a time when the risk that nuclear weapons could be used in conflict is already widely recognised to be the highest it has been since the height of the Cold War. There are ongoing wars involving aggression by nuclear-armed states against Ukraine and Iran, there is persistent tension between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan following their latest shooting war last year, and there is the ever present threat of nuclear war on the Korean peninsula. |
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You can download the full report here
To request an embargoed copy of the report or to request an interview, contact: Alistair Burnett, ICAN Head of Media [email protected] +41 78 238 7179 |